As your Parish Council our aim is to serve the villageand make improvements in a way that you tell us youwould like. We deal with a huge variety of issues overthe course of the year and my report provides asummary of our activities over the 2014/2015financial year.

Wootton Bridge Village Square The Village Square continues to be the hub of thevillage. The local pet store is now selling green bagswhen the office is closed.

Christmas FestivalThe Christmas Festival was again a great success. TheChristmas Festival was held outside the Parish Officeas well as in the Community Centre and the rovingNativity Play started at the Cedars and ended up in a‘stable’ outside the Parish Office. The Salvation Armyled the carol singers and the hot mulled wine andmince pies went down well.

Partnership WorkingWe pride ourselves on how we work in partnershipwith other authorities and agencies to help improveour village. We continue to support the WoottonBridge Village Partnership, the main body whichorganizes our annual Party in the Park, an eventwhich every year seems to be getting better and better.We have continued to work closely with our BeatOfficer and Police Community Support Officer, whoboth call in to our office on a regular basis to liaisewith us and pick up any messages. The CommunitySupport Officer runs a monthly surgery at the ParishCouncil office, as does the Tree Warden. Telephone884555 for more details.

Day to Day dutiesWe continue to comment on every planningapplication received for the village and have lobbiedon planning enforcement issues. It is good to see thatthe new Doctors Surgery is now open. Although theCommunity Bus 34 has reduced its running days, I ampleased to report that the Community Bus 34A hasbeen put in place to provide a service around thevillage and Havenstreet on Tuesdays. Our thanks goto the volunteer drivers who give up their time sogenerously. If you wish to become a volunteer driver,please telephone 884555 for more details. We

continue to press the Isle of Wight Council on varioustraffic issues such as traffic safety and speed issuesaround the village.

Public Toilets - Brannon WayAs you know, the Parish Council took over the toiletsin Brannon Way to avoid them being closed. This hasnot been without its challenges, with staff at theParish Council often having to take emergency actionto keep them open.

Old School Building – New Road(Youth Club building)We want to ensure it remains a community asset andthat our young people continue to have somewhere tomeet. We currently have the building fully bookedbetween 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday and youthservices use it on Monday, Tuesday and Thursdayevenings. If you are interested in making a booking touse the building then please telephone 884555.

Youth ServiceFollowing the Isle of Wight Council ceasing to run theYouth Club evenings for Seniors, the Parish Councilarranged for these to continue on a Tuesday eveningand added a Thursday evening as well. The ParishCouncil was fortunate to secure the services of twoyouth workers to run the senior nights. Both theJunior Youth Club and Senior Youth Club continue tobe very popular and the takings are being used to fundthis service.

PlanningDue to changes in planning, we went out to tender fora Local Housing Needs Survey to ensure that anyfuture housing development in the village is what you,the residents, feel you need. This survey wascompleted and the findings were sent to the Isle ofWight Council to be used as a material considerationin any housing development. You can find a copy of this document on our websitewww.woottonbridge.org.uk

Finally, I would like to thank my fellow councillorsfor their help and support. Without them we wouldn’tbe able to do what we do. I would like to thank Lizour clerk, as well as Madge and Gordon.

Ken Morris, Parish Council Chairman

GENERAL INFORMATIONPARISH COUNCILLORS FROM 2 MAY 2014:-Ken Morris Chairman OFFICERSBarry Abraham Vice Chairman Liz Kingston Parish ClerkBrian Ballard (resigned March 2015) Madge Reeves Assistant Parish ClerkCorinne Carey Gordon Tutton Financial AssistantEdward GilesBarrie HailstonePeter MundellDaryll Pitcher Steve Porter Linda Pitcher (elected May 2014)

MEETINGSThe Parish Council usually meets on the third Tuesday in every month except August when no meeting is held. Wemeet at 7.00pm in the Old School and members of the public and press are welcome to attend. Members of thepublic are able to participate in meetings and speak on any agenda item. There is also an Open Forum at the startof every meeting where issues can be raised that are not included on the agenda. Notices and the agendas areposted on the village notice boards, on the web site www.woottonbridge.org.uk and at the Parish Council office.Sometimes extra meetings are held to deal with urgent matters such as planning.

ANNUAL PARISH MEETINGAdditionally there is a statutory Annual Parish Meeting held during April. The Annual Parish Meeting providesanother opportunity for residents to come along and address the Parish Councillors or just to have a say on mattersof interest or concern. Additionally reports are given by the Parish Council Chairman, Clerk, Village PartnershipChairman, Isle of Wight Councillor, Tree Warden and Beat Officer.

PARISH COUNCILLOR ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGSThe following attendance record is in respect of the period 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015 and is in respect of theParish Councillors who were in office during 2014/15.

Of the 11 scheduled monthly meetings held, Parish Councillor attendance was as follows:-Barry Abraham 11 Brian Ballard 2 Linda Pitcher 10 Barrie Hailstone 9 Ken Morris 11 Peter Mundell 11 Steve Porter 10 Daryll Pitcher 9 Corinne Carey 9 Edward Giles 7

OFFICE OPENING TIMES10.00am to 1.00pm on Mondays. 10.00 am to 1.30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays. 10.00am to 5.30pm on Fridays.10am to noon on Saturdays. Closed all day on Wednesday.

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR PARISH COUNCILLORSParish Councillors/officers can be contacted at the Wootton Bridge Help and InformationCentre on 884555 or by email at wbpc@onwight.netRemember that your Parish Councillors give their time for free because they care about the village; they receive nopayments or expenses. Also, much of what we achieve is thanks to the many volunteers who help us in all mannerof ways. Together we have raised thousands of pounds worth of grant funding for village regeneration projects. It isvery rewarding to work together and to see so many projects come to fruition. If you would like to become involvedor would like more information please contact any one of your Parish Councillors or the Parish Clerk on 884555.

Questions relating to this report can be addressed to any one of your Parish Councillors or the Parish Clerk at theParish Council Office in Brannon Way.

This report is also available on the Parish Council's web site at

www.woottonbridge.org.uk

Wootton Bridge Parish Council ANNUAL REPORT 2014/2015

Chairman’s report April 2014/March 2015

Wootton Bridge Parish Council ANNUAL REPORT 2014/2015

Wootton BridgeP A R I S H C O U N C I L

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INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 201531 March 14 Current year end 31 March 2015

INCOME £

67,000 Precept 69,000 3,979 Partnership/Regeneration funds 3,836114 Interest on investments/bank interest 8150 Best Kept War Memorial 0250 St Marks PCC grant/Newport PC Grass Cutting 550894 Sale of Garden Waste Sacks 1,364

1,140 HIC Income 1,1971,858 Youth Club 1,126

75,285 TOTAL INCOME 77,154

EXPENDITURE £

5,288 Public Conveniences 7,46428,370 General Administration incl. salaries 25,630

135 Capital 1,00013,441 Capital schemes (Play Area & Signs) 993

789 S137 payments 5965,604 Help and Information Centre 4,2611,920 Grass cutting 1,6803,141 Partnership/ Regeneration projects 3,3571,456 Churchyard maintenance 1,274796 Miscellaneous and grants 0800 Garden Waste Sacks 1,400280 Training 10030 Election Expenses 135

5,994 Old School/Youth Club 424

68,044 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 48,314

GENERAL FUND £

84,175 Balance at 1 April 2013 Balance at 1 April 2014 91,416

75,285 Add total income Add total income 77,154

159,460 168,570

-68,044 Deduct total expenditure Deduct total expenditure -48,314

91,416 BALANCE AT 31 MARCH 2014 BALANCE AT 31 MARCH 2015 120,256

Wootton Bridge Parish Council ANNUAL REPORT 2014/2015Wootton Bridge Parish Council ANNUAL REPORT 2014/2015

PARISH COUNCIL ACCOUNTSThe following report shows the income and expenditure for 2014/2015, which have been audited by the AuditCommission. No matters giving cause for concern came to the attention of either the Internal Auditor or theDistrict Auditor and the books were successfully signed off by the District Auditor on 17 July 2015. Localgovernment electors have the opportunity to question the auditor about the accounts and have the right to attendto the auditor and make objections to the accounts or any item in them. Full details on how this can be done areposted on the Village Notice Board and at the Parish Council office prior to each annual audit, usually in thesummer.

The council tax precept for 2014/2015 is £69,000 and represents approx. £46.56 per annum per household atband D or 90p per week. The additional increase in the precept is due to the changes that are taking place whereParish & Town Councils are having to take on services historically undertaken by the County Council, as well asthe opportunity to benefit from match funding being made available to Town & Parish Councils.

Any questions or a request for copies of the accounts can be directed to me at the Parish Council office.

WOOTTON BRIDGE PARISH COUNCIL OFFICE(HELP AND INFORMATION CENTRE (HIC)) The Parish Council office continues to be well used. Issues wedeal with are very varied, from potholes in the road to coastalerosion. We also hold every current planning applicationsubmitted for the village. The office has been open for 15years this November and it has become an established part ofour village life. We are proud of all the very positive feedbackreceived from our customers.

The office provides us with a very good way ofcommunicating with the village and is invaluable for carryingout our consultation exercises. These exercises are vital in theprocess for securing grant funding.

Our facilities include:-• The Beat officer and PCSO are always calling in either to hold a surgery or pick up messages.

• Gill Salter, our Tree Warden, has her surgery on the firstFriday of each month.

• Our various Project Groups meet at the office.• CCTV coverage of the square and the new toilets.• Photocopying, faxing and laminating service.

We continue to provide assistance where possible on generalissues including:-

• Sale of green garden sacks.• Recycle bags• Advice on local issues.• Signposting on services.• Comprehensive walks leaflets.

HIC OPENING TIMES:-Parish Council

Mon 10.00am to 1.00pm Tues and Thurs 10.00am to 1.30pmWednesday CLOSED Friday 10.00am – 5.30pm

Tree WardenFirst Friday in month 10.00am to 12.00pm

Beat Officer & PCSOFirst Tuesday in month 10.00am to 12.00pm or messages can be left.

Parish Councillor surgeriesEvery Saturday between 10.00am and 12.00pm

Liz KingstonClerk

WOOTTON BRIDGE VILLAGEPARTNERSHIP CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 2014/15We continue to have a very active VillagePartnership. The Partnership is thedevelopment arm of the Parish Council andthis way it is accountable to the electorate.

Our membership involves a wide variety ofvillage organisations and residents of allages. We all work together to help makethe village a better place in which to live.Some of our members join us for specificprojects and others are there all the time. It just depends how much time people cangive. We welcome all input, however greator small, and we really do get things done.Our meetings usually consist of around 12members. However, we still have a coremembership of over 20 members whocontinue to help in one way or another.

The Village Partnership has a socialcommittee who get involved in areas suchas:-

• Party in the Park – our annual village party.

• Christmas festival – this has now become an annual event.

• One off events.

We find that these events enhance thecommunity spirit already in evidence in ourvillage.

Anyone in the village can join the fullPartnership - everyone is welcome.

Ken MorrisVillage Partnership Chairman

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